Fight over Garcetti’s nomination intensifies amid expanding Senate probe

Mayor Eric Garcetti’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to India has touched off a pitched battle within the U.S. Capitol, as extra senators categorical concern about his dealing with of sexual harassment allegations and Garcetti and his aides step up their protection.

Sen. Chuck Grassley’s widening probe of the alleged misconduct by Rick Jacobs, a former prime Garcetti advisor, and what the mayor might have recognized about it’s forcing senators to weigh the claims forward of a vote on Garcetti’s nomination.

On the similar time, Garcetti and White Home staffers proceed to achieve out to senators to rally assist for the nomination, which was introduced by President Biden in July.

A rising variety of senators, together with some Democrats, have begun speaking publicly concerning the allegations this week, creating doubts a couple of nominee who as soon as appeared headed for straightforward affirmation. The mayor would wish the assist of all 50 Democrats to win affirmation with none Republican votes.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona signaled Wednesday that he’s taking a better have a look at Garcetti’s nomination. “Senator Kelly has considerations about this nomination based mostly on the intense allegations raised by whistleblowers and is continuous to guage it,” a Kelly spokesperson instructed The Instances. The information was first reported by the Arizona Republic.

Jacobs raised thousands and thousands of {dollars} in assist of Garcetti’s 2013 mayoral marketing campaign and was a prime Metropolis Corridor deputy earlier than stepping down in 2016. The main target of a metropolis lawsuit by a LAPD officer who accused him of sexual harassment, Jacobs continued to work as a political guide for Garcetti and helped run two nonprofits related to the mayor. He stepped away from these roles after extra males got here ahead to accuse him of misconduct.

Jacobs has denied harassing anybody, however conceded that he might have hugged LAPD Officer Matthew Garza, who sued town, and instructed sexual jokes in entrance of the mayor’s safety element.

Garcetti has testified underneath oath and earlier than Congress that he was unaware of any alleged misconduct by his former aide, statements that he repeated throughout an interview Wednesday.

“I’m not getting distracted by any of the noise,” Garcetti mentioned, when requested concerning the probe by Grassley, a Republican from Iowa. “There’s no new allegations right here. These are repackaged claims which were completely investigated by the White Home, Senate International Relations Committee and an unbiased investigation that interviewed dozens of individuals and cleared me of any wrongdoing.”

Garcetti wouldn’t say how he is aware of that Grassley’s investigation doesn’t embody new claims. One new report has emerged: a former Garcetti aide instructed The Instances earlier this month that it was frequent data within the mayor’s workplace that Jacobs sexually harassed others.

Garcetti mentioned Wednesday that if he had ever recognized “if these alleged issues have occurred,” he would have instantly taken motion.

Garcetti additionally mentioned that he’s reaching out to senators to speak about his nomination, which the White Home continues to assist.

White Home Communications Director Kate Bedingfield instructed reporters on Wednesday that Garcetti ought to obtain a affirmation vote “expeditiously” and famous that Republicans and Democrats unanimously voted to advance his nomination out of committee.

“We’re persevering with to interact with senators and dealing to earn bipartisan assist for his nomination,” Bedingfield mentioned.

With Grassley’s investigation, different Senate priorities and a two-week spring recess subsequent month, it’s unlikely that Garcetti’s nomination will come up for a vote earlier than late April on the earliest.

“It doesn’t look good,” mentioned Jaime Regalado, professor emeritus of political science at Cal State Los Angeles. “It doesn’t look good for him passing.”

Even when the Senate approves him, the allegations involving his former aide “are going to be troublesome for any political alternative that he could also be wanting ahead to, post-ambassadorship,” Regalado predicted.

Additionally pushing again this week was Garcetti speechwriter Becca MacLaren, who emailed California’s two Democratic U.S. senators — Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein — on Monday to say that she didn’t see an occasion of sexual harassment that Jacobs allegedly dedicated.

MacLaren’s assertion, reported earlier by Politico, associated to an episode wherein Naomi Seligman, a former Garcetti communications director, alleged in deposition testimony that she was grabbed and forcibly kissed by Jacobs in 2016. Seligman mentioned the incident occurred in entrance of eight or 9 members of her employees.

“The alleged incident as described by Ms. Seligman in her testimony would have been shockingly inappropriate and intensely unprofessional,” McLaren mentioned in her e-mail to Padilla and Feinstein. “I might have observed such conduct. I might not have stayed silent and sought to cowl it up. And I might not have forgotten.”

Different present and former members of Garcetti’s communications employees additionally mentioned in interviews they didn’t recall seeing any misconduct by Jacobs that day.

Rebecca Ninburg, a metropolis fireplace commissioner, mentioned in deposition testimony that her buddy Seligman referred to as her to report the undesirable kiss shortly after it occurred.

Seligman, who has led the marketing campaign to dam Garcetti’s affirmation, depicted these contesting the allegations as a part of a cover-up.

“Various Mayor Garcetti’s present prime staffers have lied underneath oath by saying they didn’t see the persistent abuse in his workplace,” Seligman mentioned in a press release Wednesday. “Mendacity about this one incident is not any totally different — it matches the general sample and, like the opposite lies, ought to disqualify Mayor Garcetti from any public workplace.”

Earlier within the week, The Instances requested if Padilla would again Garcetti’s nomination. On Wednesday, the senator’s spokesperson mentioned in a press release: “Senator Padilla helps the president’s nominee and can proceed to assessment any new info we obtain.”

Whereas Grassley’s employees recommend they’ve uncovered new info, they haven’t divulged the character of that proof. There may be already appreciable info within the public document for senators to assessment, as they think about how credible Garcetti is within the Jacobs matter.

The case has been constructed across the lawsuit filed in 2020 by Garza, a member of Garcetti’s LAPD safety element who mentioned he was repeatedly subjected to undesirable hugs, massages and touching by Jacobs, who was among the many mayor’s closest confidants. Garza additionally alleged that he needed to endure Jacobs’ crude intercourse discuss.

His lawsuit in opposition to town alleged that “Garcetti was current on roughly half of the events when Jacobs behaved on this method,” doing nothing to thwart his aide and typically even laughing at his crude feedback. The mayor had denied the allegations.

Grassley’s workforce can be taking a look at allegations that Jacobs made racist feedback in entrance of the mayor. Jacobs mentioned in his deposition that he had referred to as his aide “Chinaman” when he labored at Metropolis Corridor. Jacobs mentioned that he had apologized to his aide and the 2 remained mates.

Garcetti, in his personal deposition, mentioned he would have taken motion if he heard Jacobs utilizing the phrase “Chinaman.”

Instances employees author Erin B. Logan, in Washington, contributed to this report.